Ribbon-holder.



No. 831,201. PATENTED SEPT. 18, 1906.

W; B. WISWALL. RIBBON HOLDER.

APPLICATION vFILED OOT. 14, 1905.

TH: Ncmus PETER; cc WASHINGTON, n 5,

WELLINGTON B. WISWALL, OF LA J UNTA, COLORADO.

RIBBON-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 18, 1906.

Application filed October 14, 1905. Serial No. 282,719.

at La Junta, in the county of Otero and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ribbon-Holders; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in ribbon-holders, my object being to provide a device adapted to hold the ribbon securely in place on the spool and prevent its unwinding without the use of pins orother fastening devices usually employed to hold the free end of the ribbon to the body of the bolt.

My further object is to provide a device of the character stated which shall at the same time permit the ribbon to be unwound freely as the unwinding becomes necessary in making sales.

My improved device consists ofa spring band or wire adapted to embrace and nearly surround a bolt of ribbon. This band or spring-holder is of sufficient tension to cause it to automatically maintain its position on the ribbon bolt under ordinary circumstancesthat is to say, when the bolt is not in use. When, however, it is desired to unwind a portion of the ribbon from the bolt, one hand of the operator is used in holding the bolt and the spring-band in position, while the other hand is employed in unwinding the ribbon. To facilitate the holding of the band in place and prevent it from moving laterally and slipping from the bolt, one extremity of the spring-band is provided with a ring adapted to receive either partially or wholly the end of one finger of the hand which holds the bolt. In this event the thumb of the hand presses the spool on one side, while one or more fingers of the same hand press the bolt on the opposite side. Then by using the other hand to pull the ribbon from the bolt the bolt turns freely within the band, the latter being held centrally on the bolt by the use of the forefinger, as shown in the drawings. This finger-ring is a very important feature, since without some means to prevent the lateral movement of the band while unwinding the ribbon from the bolt the ribbon-holder would be useless and practically inoperative. In order to prevent the other end of the band from resisting the unwinding of the ribbon, the said end is bent slightly outwardly from the ribbon. In order to further facilitate the operation of the device, the band does not describe an exact circle or the arc of a circle when in its normal position or free from the ribbon bolt. In other words, a diameter run from either extremity to the opposite side is greater than a diameter passed at right angles thereto. Therefore the opposite sides of the band are made to press more tightly upon the bolt of ribbon than the extremities thereof and the portion of the band opposite its extremities or opposite the space between its extremities. This also is an important feature, since in this event by reason of the slight pressure of the extremities of the band on the bolt of ribbon these extremities have no tendency to resist the unwinding of the bolt or catch upon the ribbon engaged by the band.

Instead of a band or flat spring it is evident that a spring device made of ordinary spring-wire may be employed.

Having briefly outlined my improved construction, as well as the function it is intended to perform, I will proceed to describe the same in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which is illustrated an embodiment thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bolt of ribbon provided with my improved device, ahand being illustrated to show the manner or approximately the manner of holding the bolt while unwinding the ribbon. Fig. 2 is a detail view of my improved ribbon-holder. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a ribbon bolt with my improved de vice applied. Fig. 4 is a top view of a bolt of ribbon with my improved device applied, the finger-ring extremity of the band being moved over the outer extremity of the ribbon to prevent the same from accidentally unwinding. Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating in detail a slightly-modified form of construction.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the views.

Let the numeral 5 designate the spool or cylindrical part upon which the bolt of ribbon 6 is wound. To this ribbon bolt is applied exteriorly my improved ribbon-holder or retaining device 7, consisting of a springband slightly oval in shape and having its ITO i from the ribbon bolt slightly, asshown at 14..

longest diameter extending from a point in termediate its extremities to the opposite side, as indicated by the dotted line 8, while its shorter diameter is indicated by a dotted line 9, extending at right angles to the dotted line 8. The foregoing statement is not intended to be mathematically, but only approximately, accurate. It is important, however, that the pressure of the spring at the sides connected by the dotted line 9 should be greater than at the extremities and the portion of the ring opposite these extremities or opposite the space between the two extremities. This spring ring or band 7 is provided at one extremity with the fingerring 10, which is preferably formed integral with the body of the ring and is slightly raised from the band, as shown at 12. In order to form the ring integral with the band, it is only necessary to first bend it upwardly and then at right angles to .the upward bend, as indicated at 13 in Fig. 4. The opposite extremity of the band is turned outwardly From the foregoing description the use and operation of my improved device will be readily understood. The device before ap plying it to the boltof ribbon is sufliciently expanded by separating its extremities to allow it to embrace the ribbon bolt. When the bolt is not in use, or when it is not de sired to remove the ribbon therefrom, the

finger-ring extremity of the band is pushed over the outer extremity of the ribbon, as shown by the heavy line 15 in Fig. 4. Now as soon as it becomes necessary to unwind the ribbon the finger ring extremity of the band is moved in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 4 until the extremity 15 of the ribbon is released. Attention is called to the fact that when the band is applied to the bolt of ribbon the space between the extremities of the band must be sufficient to allow the outer extremity of the ribbon to be drawn from the bolt easily without touching the extremity of the band opposite the ring. The bolt of ribbon is then taken in the left hand with the thumb on one side of the spool, the forefinger engaging the ring with one or more of the other fingers on the opposite side of the spool. The end 15 of the ribbon is then drawn outwardly or unwound from the bolt by the right hand, the bolt of ribbon revolving freely in the band, while the latter is held in place against lateral movement through the instrumentality of the forefinger, which engages the ring, as heretofore explained.

In the form of construction shown in Fig. 5the device is composed of ordinary springwire, the body of the device being designated 7*, the ring 10% the opposite extremity 1 4, and the neck connecting the ring with the body of the device bein designated as 10. This neck is of suflicient length to permit the using of the ring 10 for the insertion of the extremity of the forefinger when the device is in use.

It is evident that the ribbon-holder may be' a spring-band made of suitable material 1 regardless of the shape of its area and crosssection. The tension of this bandshould always be such that it will hold the ribbon equally well in all stages of the unwinding operation whether the bolt is full. or down to the last yard thereof.

Having thus described my invention,.what I claim is 1. A ribbon-holder comprising an ovalshaped clasp adapted to embrace a bolt of ribbon, the extremities of the clasp being free to recede from and approach each other accordingly as the tension is increased or diminished, one extremity of the clasp consisting of a ring fashioned to receive a portion of the finger of .the hand in which the ribbonbolt is held.

2. A ribbon-holder comprising a clasp whose extremities are free to approach and separate from each other depending on the tension of the clasp, one extremity of the clasp consisting of a ring fashioned to receive a portion of the extremity .of one finger of the hand in which the clasp is held, while the other extremity is turned outwardly from the ribbon bolt for the purpose set forth.

3. A ribbon-holder comprising a springclasp adapted to embrace a bolt of ribbon and provided at one extremity with a ring slightly raised from the body of the clasp and adaptedto allow a portion of a finger to enter to enable the user to prevent lateral movement of the clasp while unwinding ribbon from the bolt.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WELLINGTON B. WISWALL.

Witnesses O. G. HEss, NELLE DRURY. 

